The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-09-07
Another New York Firs-Trsp Destroyed at
IN Early Hour in the Evening.
All the Tenants SucCsed in Getting Out
Without Any Serious Injuries.
4 Frightful Panic Which Fortunately Did
Not Have Any Fatal Results.
An Onicer's Escape Shut On-Jumpins
From Roof to RoOf-Trampling
Over Each Other i'm the Dark
Notes.

NEW YORK, September 5.-The cry of
IRE was raised about o'clock this morn
ing in Fifth street, between Tenth and
Eleventh avenues. It was no sooner heard
than scene of the widest excitement and
panic ensued. The block is filed with
tenement houses on both sides of the
street. The fire was in the fifth story
double decker, No. 522, which, with four
Others adjoining it, are owned by the
Messrs. Potter Bros. The buildings are of
brick and have about seventy-five feet
depth, four families living on each floor.
In the basement are woodhouses and coal
bins. The fire apparently started in one
OF the woodhouse9, shot up through the
air shaft, burned its way toward the stair
way and spread its force in the upper
stories.
Luckily several apartments in the house
had not been occupied recently, and there
were only seven families living there.
These were panic striken. They had to
find their way through the smoke, men
carrying children, and women with their
arms full of clothing, household effects,
etc. A panic equally as great occurred in
houses No. SIS and $40, where there really
was no danger. To add to the horror, the
gas was turned off and in the excitement
no light could be had. The people, frantic
in their efforts to escape, fell over each
other and trampled upon one another,
and in the dark there was q struggling,
surging mass of humanity. A police off.
Ger had gone to the top floor, leaving
Officer Hsggerty on the third, where he
was assisting little girl to escape, and
just then the flames began to show them
selves on the third floor and cut off his
escape. His right hand was severely
burned. He reached to the top story and
got out on the roof with Officer Brophy.
They climbed down to the adjoining roof
and came down through that building.
The escape of the people in the burned
building was most fortunate. Those on
the first floor got out without any trouble
and those on the upper floors left by way
OF the IRE escapes. Some of them went up
to the roof and escaped to the adjoining
building and few managed to get down
stairs through the smoke and advancing
flames. The excitement was intense.
Women shrieked and children cried. The
firemen aided gallantly in the escape of
the inmates. The flames shot up the stair
way and beat their way to the front of the
building. They rapidly shot out on all
sides through the windows and the roof.
The inmates of SIS and $40 became
alarmed and left their rooms. They had
to do so in the dark. as the gas had been
turned off. James Harmon jumped from
the roof of SIS to the roof of SIG and had
his leg broken. A man named Dowd fell
in the street and cut his head. A little
girl was left on the balcony of the
top story of 518, but was
rescued by a fireman. Fireman Nc
Namara and some fremen were in the
third story when a high tank crashed
through the roof. They had a narrow
escape from being killed. 1t fell within a
few feet of them and two OF the men were
struck by falling timbers and the bricks.
Fireman William Mobiles was at work in
the yard when huge pile of bricks fell
down from the roof almost burylng him.
He was badly bruised about thei body.
The fire burned through the two upper
stories, badly cutting them. 1t was nearly
o'clock before the fire was got under
control. 1t was rumored that several peo-
pie bad been buried, and after the flames
were extingnished the fremen made a
careful search of the burned building, bat
no bodies were discovered. The occupants
of the burned building lost everything
they possessed and only one of them was
insured. The loss to the building is about
$4,000 and that to the occupants Will be
ahnrt - 0OO